334 
Morphine. 
Am.  Jour.  Pharm. 
June,  1884. 
To  ascertain  the  exact  nature  of  this  alkaloid  remains  for  a  future 
study  which  I  hope  I  may  be  able  to  give  to  it.  The  alkaloid  seems 
to  have  the  peculiar  taste  found  in  the  bark  on  chewing  a  portion,  and 
I  think  the  virtue  of  the  drug  will  be  partly  if  not  entirely  represented 
by  the  alkaloid.  Samples  of  Picramnine  alkaloid  are  being  submitted 
to  the  medical  profession,  hoping  to  receive  soon  some  information  as 
to  its  properties — Ther.  Gazette,  Jan.,  1884. 
Laboratory  of  Parke,  Davis  &  Co.,  December,  1883. 
MORPHINE. 
By  O.  Hesse. 
The  author  has  studied  the  action  of  acetic  and  propionic  anhydrides 
on  morphine  and  its  derivatives.  With  regard  to  the  nomenclature 
introduced  by  Grimaux,  the  author  contends  that  the  term  codeine  is 
unjustifiable.  When  the  hydroxylic  hydrogen  in  morphine  is  replaced 
by  the  acetyl  group,  the  resulting  product  is  mono-  (or  di-)  aeetylmor- 
phine;  and  when  it  is  similarly  replaced  by  methyl,  etc.,  the  resulting 
compounds  should  be  called  methyhnorphine,  etc.,  and  not  codeine, 
codethyline,  etc.  For  derivatives  where  one  of  the  hydrogen-atoms 
of  the  nucleus  is  replaced  by  methyl,  etc.,  the  author  proposes  the  name 
of  morphimethine,  etc. 
Morphine  dissolves  easily  in  excess  of  acetic  anhydride  at  85°,  to 
form  aliacetyhnorphine.  This  substance  crystallizes  in  anhydrous  prisms, 
which  are  easily  soluble  in  alcohol,  sparingly  so  in  ether,  melt  at  169°, 
and  with  hydrochloric  acid  yield  a  hydrochloride  which  gives  no  col- 
oration with  ferric  chloride.  No  more  highly  acetylized  body  could 
be  obtained.  Dipropionylmorphine  was  prepared  in  a  similar  manner. 
It  is  amorphous,  easily  soluble  in  alcohol,  ether,  and  chloroform,  spar- 
ingly so  in  water.  The  hydrochloride  is  an  amorphous  powder  easily 
soluble  in  water  and  yielding  a  pale  yellow  amorphous  platinochloride, 
[C17H17(C3H50)2N03]2,H2PtC]6.  Morphine  methiodide  treated  with 
freshly  precipitated  silver  chloride  yields  morphine  methochloride,  crys- 
tallizing in  long  colorless  needles,  containing  2H20,  which  it  loses  at 
120°.  It  dissolves  in  concentrated  sulphuric  acid  without  discolora- 
tion, but  the  solution  turns  violet  when  heated.  It  gives  a  dark  blue 
coloration  with  ferric  chloride  in  aqueous  solution.  The  platinoehloride 
forms  orange  needles  containing  1  mol.  H20.  Morphine  methiodide 
dissolves  with  difficulty  in  acetic  anhydride  at  100-120°,  and  forms 
